ABOUT/CV

My work is an open invitation. Rather than telling viewers what my art means, I am far more interested in what it means to them. The conversation that unfolds between a viewer and a piece – that moment of personal recognition or unexpected association – is at the heart of what I make.

My process is intuitive and playful, driven by late-night restlessness and the thought “Oh yeah, that would be cool to try.” Working across both 2D and 3D, I combine dyes, plaster, metal, wood, acrylics, and wire – choosing materials for how they can be manipulated, how they push against each other, or how they unexpectedly complement one another. The resulting forms hover between the familiar and the strange, suggestive of functional objects, half-remembered memories, or images from dreams.

My early design inspiration came from the visual complexity of electrical substations – those overlooked industrial structures full of repetition, pattern, and raw material beauty. That same fascination with order and unpredictability still drives my work today. Repetition creates rhythm; unexpected materials create tension; humor keeps it honest.

I want my pieces to age, as people do – left raw and unsealed, they will change over time, carrying the marks of their own existence. Whatever you see in them is exactly what they mean.

Image by Tony Pinto

Dave Clark lives and works in Long Beach, California, where he has built an active studio practice and exhibition record spanning more than four decades. His early work in tables and wall constructions earned gallery representation through design centers in Laguna Beach and Miami Beach, establishing a distinctive approach to objects that blur the boundaries between art, design, and function.

After a period focused on a career in education and publishing – he has edited a long-running magazine on high-end audio for over 25 years – Clark returned to making art full-time following his retirement in 2016. Since then he has maintained a prolific practice, exhibiting regularly at venues including the Torrance Art Museum, Durden and Ray, ShockBoxx Gallery, Dark Art Emporium, and TAG Gallery, among many others.

Drawing on backgrounds in Psychology, Sociology, and Education rather than formal art training, Clark brings an unconventional perspective to his work in mixed media, painting, and three-dimensional construction. His art invites viewers to bring their own associations and interpretations, prioritizing conversation over singular meaning. He has also contributed to the Long Beach arts community as a curator and through ongoing participation in collaborative exhibitions and open studio events.

Instagram daverclarkdesigns/

Inquiries – daverclark55@gmail.com

I do accept cash, PayPal, Zelle, and Venmo

Solo Exhibitions

2025 Fragments. Michael Stearns Studio at Los Angeles Arts. San Pedro, CA

2025 Lucky Gallery 13. Long Beach, CA

2024 Gallery 6. Long Beach, CA

2024 Black Box Micro Gallery. Long Beach, CA

2023 Black Box Micro Gallery. Long Beach, CA

2022 Mantel and Monarch Gallery. Long Beach, CA

2018 Curated by Vinny Picardi and Monica Fleming. Loiter Galleries. Long Beach, CA

2017 Stateside Crafts. Long Beach, CA

1982 Q-VO, Q-VO. Inland Empire Art Gallery. Riverside, CA

1980 Pop Schemes. Inland Empire Art Gallery. Riverside, CA

Selected Group Shows

2025

Public Discourse. Curated by Michael Stearns and Edith MonDragón. Michael Stearns Studio/LAHA. San Pedro, CA.

Summer Show Three. Curated by Mark Rebennack. Long Beach, CA.

Nomad IV. Torrance Art Museum. Torrance, CA.

The Human Form. Metropolitan. Curated by Art Clout. Long Beach, CA.

Diverse Perspectives. Gallery Azul. San Pedro, CA

2024

MAS Attack. Torrance Art Museum. Torrance, CA

Digging Beneath Ghost Lake. Curated by Jennifer Gunlock. Artists Studios. Long Beach, CA (Watch a video HERE)

Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Long Beach, CA

Nomad III. Torrance Art Museum. Torrance, CA.

A Deep Well. Dark Art Emporium. Long Beach, CA

This is Not a Pipe: What is Reality? LBCG/Rod Briggs Gallery. Long Beach, CA

The No Theme, Theme Show. Covet Art Gallery. Curated by Laurie King. Oceanside, CA

L.A. Open. TAG, The Artists’ Galley. Curated by Kristine Shoemaker. Los Angeles, CA

2023

Long Beach Open Studio Tour at the LBCG/Rod Briggs Gallery. Long Beach, CA

Ghost Shadows. ShockBoxx Gallery. Hermosa Beach, CA

Pop Surrealism. LBCG/Rod Briggs Gallery. Long Beach, CA

Unlovable. ShockBoxx Gallery. Hermosa Beach, CA

2022

Tiny Terrors. Dark Art Emporium. Long Beach, CA.

Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Long Beach, CA

Sofa King Abstract. ShockBoxx Gallery. Hermosa Beach, CA

Not an Art Fair. ShockBoxx Gallery. Hermosa Beach, CA

El Corazon. Gallery Azul. Curated by Cora Ramirez. San Pedro, CA

Regulated Garbage. ShockBoxx Gallery. Hermosa Beach, CA

Fresh. LBCG/Rod Briggs Gallery. Curated by Art Clout LB. Long Beach, CA

Connect/Collaborate – A Group Exhibition. Shoe Box Projects.

Trash, Dark Art Emporium. Curated by Jeremy Schott and Jeremy Cross. Long Beach, CA

2021

Small Works 2, Page Against the Machine. Curated by Stephanie Han. Long Beach, CA

Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Long Beach, CA

Textured II, Envision Arts Online Gallery.

Shoebox Projects at High Beams. Curated by Kristine Schomaker. Torrance Art Museum, CA

Color is Your World. Santa Clarita, CA

2020

Small Works, Page Against the Machine. Curated by Stephanie Han. Long Beach, CA

Covid-19 Creativity, Huntington Beach Arts Center, CA

ONYX II, Envision Arts. Honorable Mention

Visions of Shape and Form. The Long Beach Creative Group. Long Beach, CA

We Are Here/Here We Are. Durden and Ray presents We Are Here / Here We Are, a Los Angeles County-wide exhibition of nearly 100 artists that explores our innate desire for connectivity through sensation. LA County

2019

Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Long Beach, CA

LBCG/Rod Briggs Gallery. Long Beach, CA

Loiter Galleries. Long Beach, CA

Repeating Fragments. Curated by Ed Gomez and Brian Thomas Jones. Durden and Ray. Los Angeles, CA

2018

Hellada Gallery. Long Beach, CA

Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Long Beach, CA

Art in a New Place. Art Exchange and the Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA). Curated from the ViCA 2017 catalog by Ron Nelson, Director of the Long Beach Museum of Art and Art Exchange board member. Long Beach, CA

2017

Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Long Beach, CA

Art in Place. Newberry Lofts, Group Show. Jurors: Venice Institute of Contemporary Art. Long Beach, CA

18 x 18 – 18 Tables, 18 Artists. MADE by Millworks. Curator and Table Constructions: Dave Clark. Long Beach, CA

Edison Building. Curated by Renee Tanner. Long Beach, CA

1983

San Bernardino Valley College, partnered show with Mick Gronek. San Bernardino, CA

Traction Gallery. Los Angeles, CA

1981

Inland Empire Art Gallery. Riverside, CA

Selected Bibliography

In the Studio with Dave Clark Shoebox Art

Unknown author, ViCA Catalog. Venice Institute of Contemporary Art. 2017. Los Angeles, CA

Dimitri Raydoce, Highlander Newspaper. Interview and feature article. 1980, UC Riverside. Riverside, CA

Past Representation

1984-1986 Design Center South (furniture to the trade only). Laguna Beach, CA and Miami Beach, FL

1983-1985 Anne Goldman (wall constructions). Marina del Rey, CA

Images by Michael Jude (the good ones) or the artist (the not so good ones)